Have you ever been on the receiving end of an unexpected act of kindness from someone? How did it make you feel?
Everyone at some point in their life has experienced a surprise gift – maybe even an anonymous act – of joy, compassion or kindness. It’s often the little moments, and the small things, that affect us the most and stay with us for a long time.
This year, International Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 14-20. If you’re scratching your head for ideas, the good folks at the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation curate suggestions from around the world, and they offer a list of 50 super-easy ideas you can do with little or no effort.
If you’re on the fence about the concept, here are THREE great reasons to practice random acts of kindness this week, or any time:
1. Change Someone’s Life for the Better
Your act of kindness, no matter how large or small, can lift someone’s spirits and make them smile. Even a small action or kind word has the potential to dramatically shift a person’s thinking and give them hope. Your single act tells a person “I see you, and you matter.” Kindness forges connection and is a catalyst for positive change. That’s pretty powerful.
2. It Makes You Feel GOOD
There’s no better way to lift your own spirits than by doing something for others. The giver often receives just as much joy as the receiver, and you don’t need to see their physical reaction to know you made a difference. It might be out of your comfort zone, but the result of a pure act of kindness will open your heart and leave you feeling more fulfilled. When we make it a practice to give love, compassion, and kindness to others, we become more open to receiving love, compassion and kindness in return (especially when it comes to loving ourselves).
3. Kindness is Contagious
There are no strings attached to random acts of kindness, but it feels so good it often inspires the recipient to pay it forward. Have you ever tried to not smile when someone smiled at you? Smiles are contagious!
Practicing random acts of kindness helps both the giver and receiver lift up, look around and see there is good in the world. It inspires us to share the love with others.
By practicing or receiving random acts of kindness, it can re-define our sense of normal as “life is good” rather than “life is hard, and nobody cares.” Thoughtfulness and gratitude become wonderful new habits that snowball, affecting everyone around us.
>> more info on the Random Acts of Kindness website
>> 50 Easy Ideas You Can Do for Random Acts of Kindness Week
